Early life
John Struthers was born inPoor Man's Sabbath
Sometime around 1803 he wrote 'A Poor Man's Sabbath', but anxious not to publish hastily again he lay around for a year. In 1804, a couple of acquaintances told him that they were anxious to see the poem in print. He had the poem printed off by Mr William Lang who had it "beautifully and correctly printed on a stout and fine foolscap extending to 32 pages having neither preface or note". The price of the printing was 4½d per copy and Lang thought he could ask no more than 6d a copy. So Struthers left the printers "With the whole edition formed into a small parcel, which I carried below my arm". His first port of call was a bookseller he had known for some time called Brash. Mr Brash read the first few verses, liked it and bought 2 dozen copies. He suggested another Glasgow bookseller, Mr Ogle who might also be interested. Struthers took the poem to that bookseller but he was rude and insulting about the work, hardly bothering to read it. Despite this he bought 6 copies and by selling another 6 to shoemakers on his way home, he had sold 3 dozen by the end of the day. 10 days later when he was looking in Ogle's window, he was beckoned inside, where Mr Ogle's attitude had taken on a great change. He asked whether there were any copies left and offered to take the whole edition at 6d a time. He would also take any unsold stock off any other booksellers. The deal was done, and as Brash was the only other to hold the book, he went to ask after any unsold copies. Mr Brash was most amused at Ogles antics and the naivety of the author. He brought out an article from an Edinburgh periodical the previous week that gave the poem a glowing review. In 1808, Struthers was visited in his house by his childhood teacher,Peasant's Death
In 1806 he finished 'The Peasant's Death', which was intended as a sequel to 'The Poor Man's Sabbath'. It was printed again for Mr Ogle and on the same terms as before, which means that Struthers would make very little money from the book. In 1808, he was inLater work
In 1811 he completed 'A Winters Day', which was printed privately with some success and in 1816 he wrote 'An Essay on the State of the Labouring Poor'. The work caused considerable correspondence for Struthers. One of the correspondents was Mr Archibald Fullarton of the firm Khull, Blackie & Co who asked his permission to print a cheap edition for circulation among that class of the community for whose benefit it was more immediately intended. The pamphlet was reduced from 18d to a groat. For the working man however the work held no charms. In 1818 'The Plough' was printed by Robert Chapman and was well received by the public. He also produced a volume of poems by William Muir, of which he edited and added a preface and saw through the press. The work died without a trace. Fullarton asked Struthers to edit a collection of songs. He did this reluctantly, thinking himself unqualified for the job. The result was 'The Harp of Caledonia' which came out in 3 volumes in 1819. It included songs by Sir Walter Scott and Joanna Baillie. In 1819 he gave up shoemaking and joined the firm of Khull, Blackie and Co. His jobs were of a most general kind including a little proof reading or editing. At the request of Fullarton he wrote 'The History of Scotland from the Union to 1827'. He intended to add a third volume, but this was never finished. He worked for 18 months on Scottish biographies, many of which appeared in Chambers 'Eminent Scotsmen'. In 1829 the firm of Khull and Blackie was broken up and Struthers found himself without employment. In 1832 took a post as librarian at Stirling's Public Library in Glasgow, a post he held for another thirteen years. He died on 30 July 1853.Works
Poetry
* ''Poems on various subjects'' 1801. Glasgow * ''The Poor Man's Sabbath'' 1804. Glasgow * ''The Peasant's Death; or, a visit to the house of mourning; and other poems'' 1806. Glasgow * ''The Winters Day, with other poems'' 1811. Glasgow * ''Poems, moral and religious'' 1814. Glasgow * ''The Plough, and other poems'' 1818. Edinburgh * ''Poems by John Struthers'', 3 vols, 1824-26. Glasgow * ''Dychmont: A poem'' 1836. Glasgow * ''The Poetical Works of John Struthers, with autobiography'' 1850. LondonMiscellaneous work
* ''An Essay on the State of the Labouring Poor, with some hints for its improvement'' 1816. Glasgow * ''The History of Scotland, from the Union to the abolition of the heritable jurisdictions in 1748'' 1827. Glasgow * ''Tekel; an examination of the Rev. Mr. Andrew Marshall's sermon, entitled Ecclesiastical establishments considered, and letter to the late Dr. Andrew Thomson'' 1831. Glasgow * ''Scripture Grounds for a National Church, and a National Profession of Christianity: in a letter to a friend'' By a Layman. 1836. GlasgowWorks as Editor
* ''The Harp of Caledonia: a collection of songs, ancient and modern, chiefly Scottish. With an essay on Scottish song writers'' 1819. Glasgow * ''The British minstrel; a selection of ballads, ancient and modern / with notes biographical and critical'' 1821 GlasgowNotes
References
* Autobiography in ''The Poetical Works of John Struthers, with autobiography'' 1850. London. i–cliv * Rogers, Rev Charles. ''Scottish Minstrel'' 1870 Pages 164–166. * Wilson, James Grant. ''Poets and Poetry of Scotland. Volume 1'' 1876 Pages 540–551. * Eyre-Todd, George. ''Glasgow poets'' 1903 Pages 132–141 {{DEFAULTSORT:Struthers, John 1776 births 1853 deaths Scottish biographers Historians of Scotland Scottish essayists Scottish political writers Scottish book editors Scottish song collectors People from East Kilbride 19th-century Scottish historians 19th-century Scottish poets 19th-century essayists Scottish folk-song collectors